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Start of Tour sees thousands flock to Milton Keynes and Glasgow (August 2008)
July saw two action packed events, as the Dodge Urban Beach Tour kicked off at Milton Keynes on July 11th, as part of its annual Musik 4U festival.
Thousands flocked to the ‘urban' beach at Station Square to catch the sizzling on-court action and catch a glimpse of the superstars in action. These included Milton Keynes-born and Great Britain star Liane Herbert, 22, who, alongside teammate Helen Brown, came third in the Women's Urban Beach Elite Tournament.
The action continued just a week later (19-20 July) north of the border, as the Dodge Urban Beach Tour bounced along to the Glasgow River Festival for the first time.
This time, a beach was created on the banks of the Clyde next to the SECC (Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre) and the lack of sun didn't put off thousands of spectators who came along to enjoy the on-court entertainment.
The weekend's action also included the Scottish Masters, where four men and women's teams competed vigorously for a prize total of £1,000.
Graham Riddle and Barry McGuigan were the winning pair in the men's tournament, while Mel Coutts and Eilidh Smith were the victors in the women's challenge.
Jake Sheaf, who is set to compete in the World U21 Championships in September after the Dodge Urban Beach Tour, said: "So far the Tour has been extremely enjoyable and the spectator turnout for both events has been fantastic. It has been a great experience and I am looking forward to the next Tour stop in Portsmouth."
Organisers are now preparing for more action as the Tour heads to the Hampshire waterfront city on the 8th August for three days of volleyball mania.
This time the beach comes to the trendy and vibrant Gunwharf Quays, set alongside Portsmouth's iconic Spinnaker Tower; the tallest accessible structure in the UK outside London.
Jake Sheaf, along with his brother Luke will be hoping to do themselves proud, as they battle it out on the sand for the men's elite title.Dodge brings volleyball to an ‘urban beach' near you (July 2008)
Dodge will be helping the international stars of the Olympic sport of Beach Volleyball battle it out on the sand this summer, by building ‘urban beaches' across the UK.
Throughout July and August, the Dodge Urban Beach Tour will travel to Milton Keynes, Glasgow, Portsmouth, Birmingham and Cardiff using the new Dodge Journey people carrier and Dodge Nitro 4x4 to showcase the best of what beach volleyball has to offer.
Over 200 tonnes of sand will be brought to each location to create a beach court, surrounded by an arena for spectators.
Players confirmed for this year's tour include for the first time, guest Australian pairs Sam Boehm and Christopher McHugh and the high flying Aussie girls Becchara Palmer and Alice Rohkamper, while Englishmen Jody Gooding and Morph Bowes return to defend their 2007 title.
But it is not just world-class beach volleyball players who will be in action over the three-day festivals. In the fun Beach4 tournaments, local teams can battle it out on the sand for the title of ‘Beach4 City Champions'.
There are also fantastic opportunities for young volleyball stars of the future to get involved and get a taste of what this sport has to offer. The ‘Beach Kids' programme is available for local children under the age of 16. At each event they will be given the opportunity to get free expert tuition from some of the UK's top coaches to develop their Beach Volleyball skills.
Tim Cantle-Jones, Event Director of the Dodge Urban Beach Volleyball Tour, said: "Our Tour has proven to be hugely successful in the past and with the sport hotting up for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, we're sure this year's is going to be even bigger and better!
"This is a chance for people of all ages and abilities to get involved, whether you're completely new to volleyball or already a member of a team. It's great fun and also a unique opportunity to see the professionals in action."
The tour is calling at Milton Keynes 11-13 July in Station Square, Glasgow 19-20 July at its River Festival, Portsmouth 8-10 August in Gunwharf Quay, Birmingham 14-17 August in Centenary Square and Cardiff Bay 23-25 August.
All the events will build-up to the FIVB World Under-21 Championships taking place in Brighton on September 3rd.
Urban Beach Tour - Channel 4 Broadcast (2007)
Stars of the fastest growing and best looking Olympic sport battle it out on UK city beaches. 
The highlights of the 2007 Urban Beach Tour will be broadcasted on Channel 4 over the next few weeks:-
Edinbrugh - Wednesday 24th October - 01:45am
Birmingham - Wednesday 31st October - 02:35am
Cardiff - Wednesday 7th November - 02:05am
Belfast - Wednesday 14th November - TBC
All programmes will be repeated twice please check your TV listings for further details.
The UK’s set to fight them on the beaches at Horseguards (4th October 2007)
Beach volleyball is one of the Olympics’ hottest new sports, but contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t always require a coastal backdrop and tropical weather, as a recent UK-wide tour demonstrated.
Despite this summer’s dismal weather, the sport is in great shape as the country gears itself up for the hosting the 2012 Games.
This summer’s Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour, presented by Speedo, brought beach volleyball to the city centres of Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cardiff and Belfast, with the help of 200 tonnes of sand, dumper trucks and lots of spades.
Its Beach Kids initiative enabled over 400 local children to get an introduction to the sport and receive expert coaching from the professionals, including National Junior Beach Volleyball Coach and Olympian, Denise Austin. The aim was to raise the profile of the sport and encourage interest amongst young people, some of whom could be standing on the Olympic podium in London 2012, when beach volleyball comes to Horseguards Parade.
Their inspiration was taken from the UK’s top beach volleyball stars, who battled it out on the city sands in the Phones 4u Tour, as part of their busy international season of summer fixtures. Many of the globetrotting elite players returned to the UK to play in the Tour in between other international commitments in Austria, Norway, Russia and Holland. Spectators were given a rare opportunity to see these professionals in action and to appreciate that this dynamic sport is so much more than bikini-clad babes.
And in Birmingham, the most land-locked of all the tour stops, there was proof that the coast isn’t a critical factor in developing future talent. Stourbridge-based Will Jenkins, then 14 years old, was talent-spotted by Denise Austin, when the Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour stopped in Birmingham in 2006.
Since then, Will’s game has developed further and he has now been touted as a future international star of the sport, with the opportunity to apply for funding from Sport UK’s Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS), as part of the 2012 development programme.
Denise said: “Will is a great example of the kind of talent that we need to nurture to produce Olympic stars of the future. Beach Kids is a really important part of the Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour and giving kids opportunities they may not normally have, by bringing the beach to the city and giving them access to professional training, means that we can recognise talent at grassroots level.”
It’s the second consecutive year of the Urban Beach Tour, this year expanding to add a new exciting feature in Custom House Square, Belfast.
Tim Cantle-Jones, Director of the Tour, is delighted with the success of this year’s programme.
He said: “It’s great that the Tour has generated so much interest from young people and we’ve received great feedback from all those who got involved in Beach Kids, Beach Six and the Elite event. “It’s been a fantastic programme this year for both participants, young and old, and spectators and we hope the success and support from events such as the Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour will continue to get more people in urban areas enthused and involved in the sport as the country gears up for 2012.”
City beach enjoyed despite UK weather (21/8/07)
An urban beach tour created to promote the Olympic sport of beach volleyball has been hailed a great success despite the disappointing UK weather. The Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour presented by Speedo returned to Birmingham for a second consecutive year last weekend and was staged on a specially constructed 200 tonne sand court in Centenary Square. The ‘urban beach tour’ is hitting cities around the UK this summer, with Birmingham being the only English city selected to stage the event. The tour will next visit Cardiff (starting Friday 24th August) and Belfast later this summer having already called at Edinburgh last month. Free for spectators, this hugely popular tour offers people a taster of the sport as well as a sneak preview at some of the stars on the scene as they battle it out on the city sands.
Last weekend the sport’s top players took to the urban beach in the Elite competition. In the men’s event, Englishmen Jody Gooding and Morph Bowes triumphed over pair Lars Jeppersen and Graham Riddle, winning 2 - 0. In the women’s competition, Shauna Mullin and Zara Dampney snatched victory, winning the second leg of the Tour in an exciting three-set final against last year’s winners Denise Austin and Gabi Medricka. Local adults were also part of the action, with the ‘Beach Six City Championship’ on offer, providing a fun six-a-side competition from 16 - 17 August with Birmingham University’s team, ‘The Rainbows’, crowned as this year’s champions after beating local squad,’ Persian Pheonix’ 33-23. Tim Cantle-Jones, director of the Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour, was delighted with the success of the event. He added: “This was a fantastic event for both participants and spectators. Birmingham City Council has been an enormous help throughout the Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour and we really appreciate their support.” An arena surrounded the sand court for spectators and entertainment was on offer throughout from the Phones 4U Urban Dance Crew and local youngsters received free coaching from former international player and Volleyball England Community Sports Coach Denise Austin. This year’s tour is sponsored by leading independent mobile phone retailer Phones 4u who has joined existing sponsor, Speedo International. Spectators are in with a chance to win the hottest Sony Ericsson mobile phone from Phones 4u and the latest urban beach gear provided by Speedo. The tour has been organised by events management team Urban Events, working together with the national volleyball associations, the British Volleyball Federation and Birmingham City Council.British summer doesn’t dampen beach volleyball enthusiasm
It wasn’t quite beach weather, but even the miserable British summer couldn’t stop spectators flocking to Princes Street Gardens this weekend as the Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour presented by Speedo brought a fantastic three-day festival of beach volleyball to the Capital. In the Urban Beach Elite competition, it was a second consecutive win for England’s Jody Gooding who partnered fellow Englishman Luke Sheaf in this year’s event. The duo saw off competition from Australian-born Lars Jeppersen and Scot, Graham Riddle, to take the men’s title. In the women’s final, English pair Denise Austin and Mel Coutts were beaten into second place by champions Lucy Boulton, from England, and American Denise Johns. Spectators were treated to a carnival atmosphere, with urban street dancers adding to the energy of the beach volleyball action. Liane Herbert, who played in the women’s elite competition, said: “This is has been a great event to be involved in. The kids seem to have thoroughly enjoyed the coaching element and what better venue is there for local teams to compete for the Beach Six title? “With the beautiful surroundings of Princes Street Gardens and the Castle, this really has been an amazing place to showcase beach volleyball!”The beach is back!
City centre hotspots get a taste of beach action with the Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour.
For the second year in a row, the ‘urban beach’ will bounce back to cities across the UK this summer, as the stars of the fast-growing Olympic sport of beach volleyball battle it out on the sand.
Running from July to September, the Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour will return to Edinburgh, Birmingham, and Cardiff to showcase the best of what beach volleyball has to offer. The 2007 tour also adds a new exciting fixture with a festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in September.
Free for spectators, the tour is sponsored by leading independent mobile phone retailer Phones 4u, presented by Speedo International and has been organised by events management team Urban Event, working together with the national volleyball associations and the British Volleyball Federation.
Over 200 tonnes of sand will be brought to each location to create a beach court, surrounded by an arena for spectators.
The Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour has now become a firm fixture for British volleyball and follows hot on the heels of the success of last year’s inaugural event, which attracted thousands of spectators.
But it is not just world-class beach volleyball players who will be in action over the four-day festivals, as Englishmen Jody Gooding and Morph Bowes return to defend their title, there are also fantastic opportunities for young volleyball stars of the future to get involved and get a taste of what this sport has to offer, with some expert coaching from international beach volleyball champion, Denise Austin.
Denise explained why the sport is so exciting: “No other ball game compares to the dynamic movements that are involved in beach volleyball, a diving pick up followed by a killed spike to finish the game, set in beautiful surroundings, playing on the sand - nothing beats it!”
And in the fun Beach 6 tournament, local teams can battle it out on the sand for the title of ‘Beach 6 City Champions’.
Tim Cantle-Jones, director of the Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour, said: “After the success of last year’s event, we’re sure this year’s is going to be even bigger and better! As the sand courts will be right in heart of the city centres, people don’t need to go to the coast to try out the sport.
“This is a chance for people of all ages and abilities to get involved, whether you’re completely new to volleyball or already a member of a team. It’s great fun and also a unique opportunity to see the professionals in action.”
The Phones 4u Urban Beach Tour is calling at Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens (20-22 July), Centenary Square in Birmingham (16-19 August), Cardiff Bay (23-26 August) and Belfast’s Custom House Square (13-16 September).
